Bill would reduce vaccine exemptions in Pennsylvania

EMILY PAINE, THE MORNING CALL

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate Pennsylvania's philosophical exemption to immunization. Medical and religious exemptions would still be accepted.

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate Pennsylvania's philosophical exemption to immunization. Medical and religious exemptions would still be accepted. (EMILY PAINE, THE MORNING CALL)

Seizing upon a national debate over vaccinating children, Lehigh Valley legislator Mike Schlossberg is proposing a bill that would limit the exceptions parents can claim to avoid immunizations for their kids.

The legislation, which the Lehigh County Democrat is co-sponsoring with Rep. Becky Corbin, R-Chester, would ax one of three exceptions available to parents. Existing state law allows objections for religious, medical and philosophical reasons.

Schlossberg's bill would eliminate the philosophical objection.

"I'm offended that people think it's a good idea to not vaccinate children," Schlossberg said. "A few things have been scientifically proven: Gravity exists and vaccines save lives."

Data from the state Health Department show that philosophical exemptions are the most commonly granted objection to vaccines in Pennsylvania. Nationwide, the commonwealth is one of only 20 states to allow such exemptions.

In the 2013-14 school year, Pennsylvania granted nearly 3,400 exemptions for philosophical reasons.

Religious exemptions, granted to members of communities such as the Amish, which object to the technology used to develop vaccines, accounted for almost 3,000 exemptions.

Medical objections — permitted for children with allergies to specific vaccines, compromised immunities and other ailments — were granted in about 1,400 cases.

Statewide, Pennsylvania's immunization rate is 87 percent. That's short of the 95 percent rate medical professionals consider the threshold for "herd immunity." Herd immunity occurs when a large enough chunk of the population is immunized to protect everybody.

EMILY PAINE, THE MORNING CALL

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate Pennsylvania's philosophical exemption to immunization. Medical and religious exemptions would still be accepted.

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate Pennsylvania's philosophical exemption to immunization. Medical and religious exemptions would still be accepted. (EMILY PAINE, THE MORNING CALL)

Pennsylvania ranks in the bottom five states nationally for the number of children immunized for measles, mumps and rubella, Schlossberg said.

The issue of vaccinations has drawn national attention after a measles outbreak at Disneyland in California that has sickened more than 100 people since December. The disease, which causes a characteristic rash and can be fatal, has had a vaccine since the 1960s, limiting cases to only few dozen per year in the last two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While vaccination rates across the country remain relatively high, public health officials say they are not geographically uniform, creating the danger of outbreaks in specific places. Some credit a growing anti-vaccination or "anti-vaxx" movement — people reacting to what medical experts say are unfounded concerns about a link between vaccines and conditions like autism.

The Disneyland outbreak has ignited criticism from doctors who have cautioned about the danger of not vaccinating and inspired politicians to speak out on both sides of the issue.

Data from states with fewer immunization exemptions show fewer cases of infectious diseases, Schlossberg said. Mississippi, for example, has the highest vaccination rate in the country. The state allows only medical exemptions, and hasn't seen a case of measles in several decades, he said.

"This is just common sense," Schlossberg said.

While still in its infancy, Schlossberg's bill has seen early support from both Republicans and Democrats.

State Rep. Matt Baker, R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter, chairman of the House Health Committee where the bill would be discussed, said he plans to support the measure.

Pennsylvania has the "ignominious" distinction of having one of the highest rates in the country of unimmunized people, Baker said. That could be reduced by about a third if the legislation were to be passed, he said.

"I still believe we need to have medical exemptions," Baker said."There are a lot of children who have medical complications. … And I think we need to honor and respect people's faith-based, deeply held religious objections."

Baker said he expects a fair amount of bipartisan support for the bill from House members. A similar bill was proposed last week by State Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery/Delaware.

In the meantime, the Senate has been talking with the state health secretary, Kocher said.

"We are looking to follow the advice of the medical experts at this point, figure out who the population is, why they haven't been immunized in the past, and how best to move forward," she said.

Jeff Sheridan, spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf, could not be reached for comment.

Schlossberg and other proponents of the bill said they have not seen a highly-organized anti-vaccination movement in Pennsylvania, but they expect to hear from opponents as discussions begin.

Andrew Unger, chief of pediatrics at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, said he sees very few philosophical exemptions among his patients who are largely from more urban Allentown. Philosophical objections are more common among enclaves of upper-income children and parents who lack any experience with the diseases vaccines they prevent, he said.

Medical exemptions, however, are real and pretty common, Unger said. Certain vaccines are cultivated in eggs, and children allergic to eggs cannot have them.

Other types of nasal vaccines are risky for children with asthma, and children with compromised immunities cannot have others, he said.

Children who cannot be vaccinated rely on herd immunity for protection, Unger said. The more exemptions that are granted for philosophical reasons, the more that immunity diminishes, he said.